Gyroscope.



B. TAYLOR,

GYROSCOPE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11. 1911.

Patented Mai. 4,1919.

2 $HEETS-SHEEI I.

Fig.1.. 20

L. BHTAYLOR.

GYROSCOPE.

' APPLICATION FILED APR. ll. l9l7. 1,296,137. Patented Mar. 4,1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

, LYNDON B. TAYLOR, F NEVJPORT, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

G-YROSCOPE.

rece es To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lrnnor: B. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Newport, county of Newport, and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Gyroscopes'; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

This invention relates to mechanism for controlling gyroscopes, and more particularly contemplates the provision of an improved gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism for employment in automobile torpedoes.

In launching", gyroscope-controlled automobile torpedoes, that is, torpedoes which after launching are kept on a predetermined course by means of a rudder operated by mechanism within the torpedo c'ontrolledby a gyroscope, it is important that the ar rangement be such that the gyroscope flywheel may he spun up from idle condition to a very high rate of speed, say 10,000 revolutions per minute, before its gimbal rings are unlocked, and that then the rings be unlocked, all within a very small fraction of a second. This time interval is sometimes as small as one-tenth of a second, it being measured from the time when the expulsion valve of the .torpedo launching tube is actuated to the time when the torpedo in issuing from the tube ceases to be wholly guided by the tube.

No difliculty is experienced in providing means for spinning the gyroscope fly-wheel to the high speedrequired in the short space of time available, a compressed-air driven turbine being generally employed for the purpose. When this high speed is reached, however, it is necessary to release the gimbal rings and to complete their release within. the time limit specified. To attain this object, several more or less successful and well known systems have been employed. One of these systems involvesthe use of a time fuse, clockwork or the like, started automatically when the fly-wheel commences to rotate, and causing the release of the girn b'al rings after a predetermined lapse of time. Another of these systems includes means for unlocking the ,gimbal rings after the gyroscopes flywheelhas made a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented an. a, rare.

Application filed April 17, 1917. Serial No. 162,783.

predetermined total number of revolutions.

These prior constructions, however, admit of the possibility that the gimbal rings may be prematurely unlocked and the torpedo may be lost or may miss its mark. a

The object of the present invention is to provide a gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism, whereby the gyroscope is spun up to a selected rate of speed irrespective of the timecr of the total number of revolutions required to attain that speed, before the gyroscope gimbals are released. The advantages of this type of spinning mechanism over the existing types are its simplicity of construction, and its substitution of a definite and constant initial rate of spin of the gyroscope for a variable initial rate of spin. This second advantage insures that the controlling effect of the gyroscope, throughout the run of the torpedo, will be influencedin a less variable manner by dis-- turbing influences existing in the gyroscope mechanism, and therefore any phenomena tending to disturb the perfect balance of the gyroscope while it is directing the course of the torpedo will tend togive a constant error WVlllCll can be corrected or allowed for. To this end, the invention involves the combination of a gimbal ring or gimbal, a gimbal lock, and means carried by some one of the rotating parts of the gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism, preferably operated by centrifugal force, to actuate the gimhal lock tofree the gimbal the instant the gyroscope is spun up to the selectedrate of speed, irrespective of the-time or the total number of revolutions required to attain that speed.

By providing a centrifugally operated means o'fthis kind, the marked advantage is obtained of having a gimbal-lock actuator which maybe embodied in a very simple and comp'actstmctureand which is adapted for .quicknnd convenient preliminary adjustment to predetermine its degree of response to centrifugal force and conse quently the rate of speed of the fiy-wheel which is to bring about a release of the gimbal lock. It'will be understood that when the present invention is applied to. mechanisms for gyroscopically directing an automobile torpedo, some means should be providedfor adjusting in advance the rate of speed of the. fly-wheel which is to bring about a release of the gimbal lock as de- "wheel shaft 8.

scribed. This is so because the efi'ectiye range ofthetor-pedo after'lau11ch-ing, that 1s, the range of the torpedo subject -to the .directive influence of the gyroscope, depends directly on the rate of speed to which'the gyroscope is spun up before the gimbal is unlocked prior to launching the torpedo. It is important, in order to increase the factor of safety, that the gyroscope liy-wheel be spun up to a speed of rotation notmaterlally greater than is required by the conditions to be met, that is, the speed of rotation of the ily-wheel at the instant when the gimbal ismilocked should be justadequate for proper functioning of the gyroscope during the entire time interval corresponding to the range of the target being attacked, to the end that no time is needlessly consumed in spinning up the fly-wheel during the fra-o tion of a. second elapsingbetween the opening of the expulsionvalive of the launching tube and the release of the gi nbal look by the ejentr-ifugally operated mechanism,

The invention will be understood more clearly from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention-as applied to the gyroscope and gyroscope spinning-mechanism of an automobile torpedo. Iii-these drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation suchinechanism, partly in section, showing the gimbals locked; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view with some of the parts removed and some shown-in section; Fig. 3

' is a sectional iew taken on the line 3-3 of Fig, 1; Fig, 4 is a yiew similar to Fig. 1 but showing the gimbals unlocked; Fig. 5 is a bottom plan View of the-parts as illustrated in Fig. l; and Fig. 6 is a section on the line (i'6 of Fig. 5

Referring to the drawings, 7 designates the fly wheel or gyrowheel of the gyro: scope, 8 the gyro-shaft, and 9 and 1() the gimbal rings The outer, vertical gimbal 9- is hung as usual in a support 11 which is fixedly mounted in the hull of the torpedo. The gyro-shaft carries a spur gear 13 which may mesh with a similar gear 14-. carried upon one end'ofwhat may be termed the lurbinesha ft 15. The oppositeend of this shaft carries the turbine-rotor 16, and the shaft 1s 1ournaled 111 a tubular casing 17. Thls casing 17 1s slidably supported by walls and 19 in the torpedo whereby thecas ng is adapted for axial movement, but it is'held against rotative movement by means'of a key andlgey-way as indicated at Thewall'lS hastjhe nozzle 21 of the turbine formed there n; The turbine-shaft may be rotated by compressed air issuing from thenozzle 21 when such shaft and the casing '17 are arranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,tha-t is, when disposed topla'ce the gears13and 1-1 in mesh to drive the fly- In other words, casing 17 when in one extreme position (Fig. 1) holds the turbine-sl-iaft 15 so "as to bring the .gears '13 and 14 into mesh and at the same time bring the turbine-rotor 16 opposite the turbine-nozzle 21. In the other extreme position of the casing 17 (Fig. 4), the gears 13 and 14: are unmeshedand the turbinerotor is carried away from the turbine-nozzle.

The casing '17 is normally maintained as illustrated in Fig. 1 by meansof a latch engagement between a pivoteddog22 and a notched boss 23 formed on the casing 17. This dog is in the form of a semi-cylindrical member secured to a latch-arm 24 which is pivoted on a suitable support 25 fixed in the hull of the torpedo. 'When the casing 17 is arranged as illustrated in Fig. 1, the dog engages with the notch of the boss 23 as indicated in Fig. 1, this notch being shown at 26 in Figs. 1 and 6. This is'the arrangement of these partsduring the operation of spin ningup'the gyro-wheel. i

In order that the gimbals may be locked immovable relative to the torpedo during the spinning up of the gyro-wheel, a locking bolt 27 is slida-bly mounted in wall '19for coaction with a suitable recess 28 formed in ring 10, the partsbeing arranged so that when the plane of the ring 10 'is-horizontal and shaft 8 extends fore and aft, the loclp ing bolt may enter the recesses shown in Fig. 1; Thebutt' end of the locking bolt is provided with an anti-friction roller 29 working in a. slotted extension 30 of a lever 31 fixedlypivoted at 32. The upper arm of this lever is forked to'coact with a finger33 dependent from casing 17. It will be seen from Fig. 'l'that when the casing 17 is ar- *anged to put gears 13 and liilltolllGSlL the lever '31 is rocked to dispose the bolt 27 within recess 28 to hold the gimbal rings.

immoyable.

A strong retractile spr ng 34 18 attached at one end .to lever 31 so that upon rocking the latch'arm 24 from the position of Fig. 1 vto that of Fig. l to cause momentary dis engagement of dog 22 and the notched boss 23 on casing 17, this springfid will actuate the lever ,3l'to shoot the casing 17 to thele iit and thereby .unmesh gears 13 and 1 1 and move the turbine-rotor '16 away from the turbine nozzle 21. During'this actuation of lever 31, the slotted extension 30. functions to-yvithdraw the lockihg bolt 27 from the recess 28, the parts bem g so designed thata minute interval of time elaps'cs between the min'ieshing of gears 13 and lei and the come plcto withdrawal of the locking boltfrom therecess. ,7

(lentrii ugally operated -means are provide d forrocking the latcharm 241 from the po ition shown in Fig. l "to that sliov-inin Fig. operatively connected therewith to assume the posltlons shown in F1g. 4:. This means,

1 topermit the casing 1? and the parts I which is illustrated in detail. in Fig. 3, is housed in a hub-member 35 secured to the turbine-rotor 16 adjacent to the free end of the latch-arm 2 as indicated in Figs. 1, and 3. The hub member is slotted to form a housing v36 for a centrifugal or weight device, the housing extending transverse to the aXis of rotation of the turbinerotorl The weight device comprises a plunger or slide-piece 37. a weight memberor element 38 and a locking member 39. The slide-piece 37 acts as a support or carrier for the weight member 38, these two parts having coacting threads as indicated. The looking member is of annular form and is provided with threads which also coact with the threads of ti e slide-piece. An expansile coil-spring 40 surrounds the slide-piece 37 and acts to restrain the weight device in retracted position against an end-plug 4:1 threaded into and forming a part of the housing. This end-plug is of annular form to facilitate adjustment of the weight member 38 and of the locking member 39 on the slide-piece 37. Such an adjustment of the weight and locking members on the slide piece determines the location of the center of gravity of the weight device as a whole, and the less the distance between this center of gravity and the aXis of rotation of the turbine-rotor, the greater the rate of speed which the rotor must attain before the weight device will be displaced a given distance. Therefore, this construction involves the provision of means for setting the mechanism in advance to predetermine the degree of response of the weight device to eentrifugal force, and, consequently to predetermine the rate of speed of the gyro-wheel which will bring about a release of the locking-bolt 27. It will be noted in this connection that with the gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism arranged in the torpedo to permit ready access to the mechanism in the usual manner, an important advantage of the centrifugally operated means illustrated in Fig. 3 is the quick and convenient manner in which the center of gravity adjustment may be made without dismounting the weight-device from the hub-member or even removing the end-plug 4:1. The fixed distance which the weight-device must travel when the gyro-wheel is spun up to the desired speed, is indicated at F in Fig. 3. After the nose of the slide-piece 37 reaches the position shown in Fig. 5, the maximum lapse of time between the assumption of this position and the time when the nose en-.

gages the edge of the latch arm 24 to disengage the dog 22 and the notched boss 23, will be the time required for the turbine-rotor 16 to make one complete revolution.

The present invention is not confined to the construction or arrangement of mechanism shown, which may of course be varied within considerable limits, as will be apparentto those skilled in the art and as may be required for any special purpose for which the mechanism is to be adapted. Furthermore, althoughthe steering of an automobile torpedo is the principal practical use now contemplated for such gyroscopic apparatus, and although the apparatus illustratively disclosed is peculiarly adapted to the requirements of such use, yet the apparatus is not limited to employment in such a relation.

1 No claim is made herein to the specific construction employed in the centrifugal controlling device illustrated in detail in Fig. 3, as that forms the subject-matter of another application filed by me on April 17, 1917', and serially numbered 162,7Si.

I claim:

1. In a gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism, the combination of a gimbal, a gimbal lock, and means carried by a rotating part of said gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism and operated by centrifugal force for actuating the gimbal lock to free the gimbal; substantially as described. In a gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism, a gimbal ring, a flywheel, means for holding the gimbal ring against movement during spinning of the fly-Wheel, and centrifugal means for causing the gimbal-holding means to free the gimbal ring when the fly-Wheel is spun to a predetermined rate of speed; substantially as described.

3. In a gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism, the combination of a gimbal, a gimbal look, a rotary member, and a centrifugal device carried by the rotary member operating in synchronism with the gyroscope to release the gimbal look when the rotary member attains a certain rate of speed; substantially as described.

t. The combination with a gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism having a gimbal ring and gyro-Wheel, of means controlled by the speed of the gyroscope and operating to release the gimbal ring when the gyro-Wheel attains a predetermined speed; substantially as described.

5. In a gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism, the combination of a fly-Wheel, a fly-Wheel shaft, rotary means for driving the fly-Wheel shaft when rotated, centrifugal operating means carried by one of the parts mentioned, gimbal rings for the fiywheel shaft, and a gimbal ring lock adapted to be released by the centrifugal operating means when the member carrying the latter attains a predetermined rate of speed; sub stantially as described.

6. In a gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism, the combination of a gimbal, a gimbal lock, and means carried by a rotating part of said gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism and operated by centrifug'al force to free the gimbal when said rotating part attains a given rate ofspeed, the centrifugally operated means being adapted to be adjusted when said rotating part is idle to predetermine said given rate of speed; substantially as described.

7. In a gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism, the combination of a gyroscope having a gimbal ring, means for spinning up the gyroscope, means for holding the gimbal ring fixed while spinning up the gyroscope, means for actuating such holding means to release the gimbal ring, and means'operating automatically to actuate such releasing means when the gyroscope is spun up to a speed of a certain number of revolutions per minute; substantially as described.

8. Ina gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism, the combination of a fly-Wheel, a gimbal ring, a device engaging the gimbal ring to hold the same fixed,' a shaft'geared to the fly-Wheel, means for driving the shaft, and centrifugally operated means for disconnecting said shaft from the fly-Wheel and for Withdrawing said device to release the gimbal ring; substantially as described.

9. 'In a gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism, the combination of a gi'mbal, a gyro-Wheel, a shaft on which the Wheel is mounted, a second shaft, intermeshing gears Lassie? on the two shafts, a motor for drivingthe second shaft, a lock for the gimbal, and a member rotated by the second shaft and operated by centrifugal force for efi'ecting disconnection of said intermeshing gears and subsequent operation of said lockto release the gimbal; substantially as described.

10. The combination with a groscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism, of means controlled by the speed of the gyroscope and operating to release the gimbal rings when the gyro-Wheel attains a predetermined speed, said means including a plurality of parts one of which may be preliminarily manually adjusted to predetermine such speed; substantially as described.

11. In a gyroscope and gyroscope spinning mechanism, the combination of a gimbal, a gimbal lock, :1 gyro wheel, a rotary member adapted to drive the gyroheel, and a centrifugal device carried by the rotary member and adapted to release the gimbal look When the rotary member attains a certain rate of speed, the centrifugal de vice including an adjustable Weight element adapted to be adjusted when theretary member is idle to Vary the distance separating the center of gravity of said derice and the axis of rotation of said member; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

LYNDON B. TAYLOR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

